Ruth Culham's Blog, page 3

How Is This Possible?

http://truth-out.org/news/item/10144-texas-gop-declares-no-more-teaching-of-critical-thinking-skills-in-texas-public-schools#.UADCz68GvD8.mailto
 
First, read this article.  Then, pass it on to other educators.  It seems impossible to me that a state could pass legislation that bans critical thinking skills from the public school curriculum.  I can’t wrap my head around this issue–just trying gives me a headache.  Maybe you’ll have better luck understanding how something like this happens in today’s world in today’s schools. If critical thinking skills aren’t the end game in education, what is?  Surely not a meaningless set of factlets that anyone can Google in 2 seconds.  And what else is there if you take out thinking skills?  What’s left is a whole lot of information and ideas that don’t add up to anything significant, don’t impact learning in a meaningful and personal way, don’t give students a purpose for learning, don’t give us a well-educated citzenry.
 
Please take a few minutes to read this article and think about the implications whether you live in Texas or not.  Then pass it on.  As teachers and administrators begin coming back to school in August, it might be a good starting point for professional discussions.  What do YOU believe is the primary job of education?  What will you do this year to make sure the education of the students in your classroom and schools is rich, complex, and meaningful?
 
 

Teach It, Test It: Here We Go Again

 Are you wondering and worrying about the Common Core State Standards?  Me, too.  I want to ask you to consider a few things as you brace for the inevitable onslaught of CCSS testing and curriculum requirements:

             The Standards define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach.  (CCSS 2010, p. 7)

These wise words are from the preface of the CCSS.  They remind us not to repeat the mistakes made during the 90s and 2000s when way too many teachers were told to teach to the test, not to the students.  Test scores declined anyway, and a lot of money went anywhere but helping teachers teach, not to mention the waste of precious time and energy.  We lost our way.  We learned from that dark time, too, so as we face this new generation of Standards, we must guard against thinking Standards and test scores are all that education offers our students.  They deserve so much more from us, the professionals.  The communities in which we live and work depend on us getting it right this time.

When I hear things like:  ”That’s not Common Core,” I  take a deep breath and ask myself why we allowed — yet again — an outside group of people to define what is meaningful to teach.  Common Core does not have a monopoly on what’s important. There are holes a mile wide and deep in the CCSS.  Where is the Standard about enjoying and loving to read?  Being passionate about reading?  It’s not there.  

In writing, there are four standards:

1.  Text Types and Purposes

2.  Production and Distribution of Writing

3.  Research to Build and Present Knowledge

4.  Range of Writing

These Standards are appropriately vague, even though they are further described in accompanying documents.  A close inspection reveals they don’t address affective issues relating to writing, either.  Why not mention that a passion for writing can benefit students as they struggle to get the right words and phrases down with skill and grace?  What, not testable?  I am beginning to see a troubling pattern here.  What really matters can’t be boiled down to a single assessment, not matter how artfully crafted, so critical areas of literacy are left out of the Standards making it much simpler to design the tests.

What worries me a lot at this early stage of living with the CCSS is their literal interpretation.  I’ve had dozen of emails from teachers and administrators asking for clarification of opinion/argumentative writing.  In my work with the Traits, I’ve always referred to persuasive writing as exactly that.  Not opinion, not argumentative, but persuasive — writing that constructs an argument.  There is a heated discussion going on about the use of the term persuasive in Standard #1:  Text Types and Purposes.

CCSS assigns the standard of opinion writing to the lower grades and argumentative to the upper grades, in other words, they narrow the possibilities of how to construct an argument to two zones: one easier, one harder.  Traditionally, persuasive writing is developed by the writer’s ability to combine three approaches:  credibility, logic, and emotion.  There is lots of room among the three to teach the skills necessary for powerful persuasive writing.   I still stand firmly that the developmental appropriateness of persuasive writing is questionable for beginning writers.  What’s the big hurry?  Yes, they can be taught a cookie-cutter approach to stating an opinion and backing it up with an example using deadly boring and mindless sentence frames.  But, are they really ready for the deeper thinking required for this mode?

I believe primary writers are much better served by working in the narrative and expository modes and developing solid, foundational writing skills while being exposed to persuasive writing in texts and models, and asking and answering questions such as,  What would you do to this expository piece to establish a position and support it?  How would you take it up a notch?  After all, isn’t persuasive writing strong expository writing with an attitude?  Can we agree to the intent  and not quibble about wording?  

One last thought on this topic.  I have to wonder who is served by taking the persuasive mode a different direction with different language and force feeding it to the field?  CCSS didn’t seem to have a problem with the broader “narrative” and “expository” terms.  Why take on persuasive?  Its big brother, NAEP, seems perfectly happy with it, after all.  It’s created confusion–that’s never good.  And here’s a scary thought:  Will teachers only be allowed to buy (often out of their own pockets) and use teaching materials that have the magic words in them?  Well, that would be creating a monopoly on publishing, wouldn’t it?  And that wouldn’t be right, would it? (This is the very kind of thing you can say in a Blog but you can’t say in an academic essay for fear of offending people.  I think I like Blogs–a timely CCSS text type.)

The Standards define what all students are expected to know and be able to do, not how teachers should teach.  (CCSS 2010, p. 7)

Bottom line:  we have to teach with methods that make a difference.  With what motivates students.  With what challenges and inspires them.   We must make instructional decisions so students can learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.  And with big amounts of joy and laughter along the way–even if it isn’t tested.  Are you really ready to surrender to the CCSS and commit to them without equivocation?   After all, the assessment will roll out in a couple of years and by then,  if you don’t know your argumentative from persuasive, you may find it’s too late to even have an opinion on CCSS.

Keep the Standards, add to them (she argues persuasively), and don’t let them define your teaching.  The Standards have worthy goals in mind for students, but they are not the Holy Grail.  There is something oddly off about having isolated Standards for reading and writing anyway.  Doesn’t the important learning happen along the way?  Why does it always seem to boil down to reaching someone’s idea of the destination?  

 

Recommended: Jhumpa Lahiri, “My Life’s Sentences”

Here’s a wonderful essay from The New York Times Opinionator blog “DRAFT” which features essays by grammarians, historians, linguists, journalists, novelists and others on the art of writing — from the comma to the tweet to the novel — and why a well-crafted sentence matters more than ever in the digital age.

 My Life’s Sentences      Jhumpa Lahriri

“In college, I used to underline sentences that struck me, that made me look up from the page. They were not necessarily the same sentences the professors pointed out, which would turn up for further explication on an exam. I noted them for their clarity, their rhythm, their beauty and their enchantment. For surely it is a magical thing for a handful of words, artfully arranged, to stop time. To conjure a place, a person, a situation, in all its specificity and dimensions. To affect us and alter us, as profoundly as real people and things do.” Read More…..

Recommended: Jhumpa Lahiri, "My Life's Sentences"

Here's a wonderful essay from The New York Times Opinionator blog "DRAFT" which features essays by grammarians, historians, linguists, journalists, novelists and others on the art of writing — from the comma to the tweet to the novel — and why a well-crafted sentence matters more than ever in the digital age.

 My Life's Sentences      Jhumpa Lahriri

"In college, I used to underline sentences that struck me, that made me look up from the page. They were not necessarily the same sentences the professors pointed out, which would turn up for further explication on an exam. I noted them for their clarity, their rhythm, their beauty and their enchantment. For surely it is a magical thing for a handful of words, artfully arranged, to stop time. To conjure a place, a person, a situation, in all its specificity and dimensions. To affect us and alter us, as profoundly as real people and things do." Read More…..

Traits Rock in the Content Areas

I just spent two days working with very knowledgeable and delightful middle school social studies teachers.  They were remarkable and helped me rediscover the reason I love this work so much.  Over the years I have considered writing a traits book for content teachers, but you know what I learned?  We don't need one.

The exact same principles that apply to traits in the English/language arts class work with writing in any content area.  We looked at student papers written for different purposes and topics that come from the coursework in social studies, and I was delighted to watch teachers take the traits scoring guide and use it expertly within a minute of receiving it.

Without any help from me, they read a piece and then began to parse out which issues in the paper were working well and which were not.  They matched them up to the trait and called out the specific language at the level of their assessment.  Then the social studies teachers began discussing how to help students overcome difficulties in specific areas — repetitive sentence structure, lack of a cohesive theme, organizational missteps — and so on.

It was a staff development dream.  My main job was to get out of the way.  After they read and assessed several papers, I called them back together and we talked.  The conversation was rich and genuine, covering common student writing problems and concerns about motivating and engaging students in writing.

At the end of the day, I realized, once again, that the power of the traits is in giving all of us — no matter what subject or age we might teach — a language to sort out the fascinating process of creating strong pieces of writing and developing skilled, capable writers.  The books, the lessons, and all the rest of it are wonderful resources.  But, if you want students to become better writers, read their papers, apply the scoring guide, talk about your discoveries with other teachers–no matter what their content area of expertise might be.  That is where the power of the traits has always been, and always will be.

December, already?

When I was a little girl, I often heard my grandparents say that life just goes faster and faster every year.  That seemed so odd to me at the time, I mean–a year is a year, right?  Twelve months for every one.  But now that I am their age (ye gads!) I realize it is true.  2011 is a blur for me.  It was filled to the brim with Traits Writing, presentations, and workshops.  I hit 2.5 million miles on Delta and still, no George Clooney as a seat mate.  What's up with that?

As I look back on the year, I'm proudest of how hard I worked to create Traits Writing–harder than I thought possible.  Everyone on the team gave it everything they have–and the result is stunning.  40 years of thinking, exploring, reading, writing, dreaming, and wishing, and we've created a writing curriculum that actually does what teachers and administrators want:  a writing program that works.  And from what I'm hearing and seeing as I travel these last couple of months, you like it.  You really like it!  You have no idea how good that is to hear.

2012 is just around the corner and I hope it is a good one for you.  My plans are to get out there with you as much as I can, and share this work.  The traits are a great gift to all of us who care about helping students learn to write.  Whether you are using the books and materials that are core to the way we assess and teach, or if you are heading down the road with Traits Writing, I thank you for what you do every day to help students learn.

A New Year's resolution:  Be a better blogger.

Happy holidays to all,

Ruth

But we already bought all this other stuff….

With the release of K-5 grades for Traits Writing and grades 6-8 just around the corner in March, everyone's wondering what to do about the materials teachers already have, trait crates in particular.  Easy.  Use them.  Let me explain.

Although Traits Writing is the most comprehensive and complete writing program to ever hit the market, each component, every lesson, every strategy has its beginnings in the Teaching Resources materials I've done with Scholastic and that have been working so successfully over the last ten years.  The materials in Traits Writing will look familiar and comfortable to you because they are more of what teachers like.  Lots more–lesson plans and materials for teachers and students for every day of the year, K-8.

Here is what I suggest:  To make the transition from stand-alone trait professional book titles to a complete curriculum, share the trait crates and other key trait materials with the Special Education, Title 1, ELL, Talented and Gifted, and other support teachers. Think about the before and after school programs and if they can continue the writing work going on in the classroom using existing trait materials.  Are there parents who would appreciate having materials to check out and help their children at home?  There are many, many places to use what has already been purchased and working well. You'll be in perfect shape if you have both:  Traits Writing for everyday classroom use and Teaching Resources trait materials to supplement.

I love the Teaching Resources materials so much, and have always been gratified to hear all the stories about how well they are working, it was natural for me to include that same thinking in Traits Writing.  For example, you'll find a mentor text every week with lesson plans just like the Trait Crates.  And, there is a video about writing from the author every week, too.  I think of Traits Writing as Trait Crates on steroids.   The Warm-Ups books are such a hit that we built in a warm-up activity every week at grades 3-5, too.  It's assessed and used to create flexible groups for further work on the key quality in focus. It also works for conventions practice that week and those lessons are built around the Warm Ups.   When the middle school materials come out, you'll find awesome R.A.F.T.S. every week that are used as prompts, but also are used to teach conventions and provide model texts for students.  The forms books for each level are redesigned and used in lessons and for home communication.  The list of what you already know and love about the traits that is also in Traits Writing goes on and on.

So, if you are fortunate and have Scholastic Traits of Writing materials already, you needn't worry about what to do with them when you adopt Traits Writing.  You'll always want to keep the Theory and Practice core book for your grade (yellow/primary; purple/G3-5; green/middle school) to read and develop a deep understanding of the traits:  where they came from; how they work for assessment; how they work for instruction.  You won't want to give up the favorite writing activities in those books or your carefully developed library of picture books, chapter books, and YA books to teach writing.  For the most robust writing program possible, use what you already own in new ways and make sure that students are getting the help they need to write well no matter what.  They should be used side-by-side with the brand new, state-of-the-art writing program that is an embarrassment of writing riches. Seriously–you are going to be amazed at everything new at your fingertips in Traits Writing.

However, if you are just getting into the traits and aren't planning to adopt Traits Writing right away, no problem.  The Teaching Resources materials are just as wonderful as they can be to get you started in the right direction.  New things are still coming out, too. Middle school Trait Crates, for instance, are available September, 2011.  They are fabulous.  Wait until you see!

As time passes, and people share what they are doing as they implement Traits Writing this fall, I'll share those ideas with you here, too.  But in the meantime, as we begin this exciting adventure together, don't worry about what to do with the trait materials you have.  Keep them, share them, use them, get missing titles and complete your collections. There is no such thing as too many writing lessons and activities.

Modes, Genres, and Formats and the Common Core State Standards

Hardly a week goes by that I'm not asked about the differences between modes, genres, and formats.  I admit, it's pretty confusing out there when you try to sort it out on your own.  Here is how I keep the terms separate in my work–I hope it helps you, too.

Modes are the purposes for writing.  Narrative, expository, and persuasive are the three most commonly used terms.  Narrative writing tells a story.  Expository informs and explains.  Persuasive constructs an argument.  The purpose of the writing should be clear to the reader, but allow room in your thinking for mixing modes.  You could tell a story, for instance, as part of an argument for or against something.  Or explain about an idea or item as part of a story.  Good writing is not a mode straightjacket–it leaves lots of room for mixing modes but never loses sight of its main purpose.

There are mini-modes, too.  Descriptive, is a good example.  You can write with the sole purpose of describing something:  a beautiful sunset over the ocean in your journal, what the rock looks like where a house key is hidden, and so on.  But we rarely do that; we more often use descriptive writing to make narrative, expository, and persuasive writing more effective.

Genres are categories of writing.  In fiction:  historical, realistic, mystery, humor, folk tales, science fiction, and so on.  For nonfiction, visualize the Dewey Decimal System and how it is organized by category:  biographies, science and nature essays, physical science, and so on.  You wouldn't go to the bookstore, for instance, and ask for an expository book to plan your next trip to Italy.  You'd ask for the travel section to find the category of books and resources about traveling to Italy.

Formats are structures of writing.  If you write in the narrative mode, you'd likely write chronologically.  If you work in the expository mode you might organize by comparison and contrast, point-by-point analysis, cause and effect, or any number of ways we construct nonfiction writing.  Structures have to be modeled and taught so students know which to use to shape the writing.  We use a variety of them depending on the purpose for writing.

So far so good, right?  As a general rule of thumb, the terms modes and formats live in the writer's world.  The term genre is more reading-related.  That doesn't mean, however, that we don't use genre in the writing classroom.  You may want students to write a how-to because you've been reading in the how-to genre, for instance.  But in truth, a how-to is a category of expository writing–the purpose is to inform and explain.  There are many genres within each writing mode.

About the Common Core State Standards.    CCSS embraced writing process, the value of short and long term assignments, the reading and writing connections–hallmarks of Traits Writing.  There is alignment in concept across the board between the CCSS and the traits, although some of the language changed.  When it comes to the modes, there are wording differences in persuasive writing in what they call Text Types and Purposes (I read this as: genres and modes).  CCSS uses the term opinion, for the writing of younger students in this mode, and for older writers:  argument.  Their distinction implies the differing abilities of younger versus older writers in the persuasive mode; younger writers tend to rely on emotional pleas while older writers are capable of using detailed information to build a case.  I'd argue that younger writers don't write as well as older writers in all the modes, that the differences in skill and thinking are part of the maturing process for expository and narrative writing as well, so I'm not sure why only persuasive writing is conceived this way in the CCSS.

Regardless, CCSS uses different terminology to get at the same concept:  persuasive writing's purpose is to construct an argument whether it is based on opinion or on fact or a combination of both.

Here is the G3-5 CCSS #1, under Text Types and Purposes:

1. Write opinion pieces on topics or texts, supporting a point of view with reasons and information.

a.  Introduce a topic or text clearly, state an opinion, and create an organizational

structure in which ideas are logically grouped to support the writer's purpose.

b.  Provide logically ordered reasons that are supported by facts and details.

c.  Link opinion and reasons using words, phrases, and clauses (e.g., consequently, specifically).

d.  Provide a concluding statement or section related to the opinion presented.

This is precisely what I do in Traits Writing and in all of my writing materials, but, indeed, I call it persuasive to be in line with NAEP (National Assessment of Educational Progress). Here's the NAEP language: Persuasive writing (persuading the reader)—writers seek to persuade the reader to take action or to bring about change. 

It's hard enough to teach writing without getting all tangled up in shades of meaning.  I believe it's more consistent and straightforward to keep it simple:  narrative, expository, and persuasive writing modes.  If it ain't broke, don't fix it.  That goes for the modes, but for the trait descriptions as well.  But that's me, and I'm the Traits Lady, not the Modes Lady.

Bottom line:  Kids need to learn the writing skills necessary to write in all the modes. We can argue and fuss about terms, but that's not helpful to students.  Let's get them writing, and writing well.  If you want to read more about modes, genres, and formats, try the middle school Traits of Writing book.  It has great scoring guides for modes, sample papers, graphic organizers and all the rest on a CD to give you a handle on how to tackle modes with your students.

Florida Writing Exam Revised, Finally

Good news for Florida teachers and for writing teachers everywhere who are fighting the good fight to stomp out formulaic writing and provide students meaningful writing instruction in every trait.  One of the last major state writing assessments to reform has announced BIG changes.  The traits just took a giant step forward in Florida.  Exciting for all–especially young Florida writers.

FCAT writing test about to get tougher
By Leslie Postal, Orlando Sentinel 

Yes, kids, spelling counts.

So does grammar, punctuation and the ability to make logical arguments backed up by relevant details.

Oh, and forget about phrases such as "a potpourri of iridescent colors." No one wants to read "pretentious language" in student essays.

The FCAT writing exam — the oldest and, by most measures, the easiest in Florida's testing arsenal — is to be graded on a tougher scale starting next year.

The move comes as Florida prepares for national academic standards, set to be in place in 2013, and new, beefed up standardized tests a year later. The idea is to pump up the requirements on FCAT writing, so Florida students are ready for the more demanding exams to come.

Central Florida educators expected the change and have been working to improve writing instruction to help students meet the challenge of a stricter grading system.

The essay section of the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is taken by students in grades 4, 8 and 10. They have 45 minutes to write an essay on an assigned topic.

Under the new grading system, there will be "increased attention to the correct use of standard English conventions," including spelling, grammar and punctuation, the Florida Department of Education stated in a recent memo to school districts.

"Scoring of this element in the past has been applied with leniency," wrote Deputy Commissioner Kris Ellington.

Students also will be expected to make logical arguments using relevant, specific details — not "contrived statistical claims or unsubstantiated generalities," Ellington wrote.

Finally, the department doesn't want to see evidence that students have memorized phrases to use on their FCAT essays.

"Rote memorization or overuse of compositional techniques, such as rhetorical questions, implausible statistics, or pretentious language is not the expectation for quality writing at any grade level," the memo stated.

The use of memorized phrases, or what the department calls "template writing," is one the state has been trying to stamp out for several years.

The practice, state officials have said, involves students at the same school using the same phrases in their essays, suggesting they've been "coached" to employ them. The phrases include over-the-top language such as "a potpourri of iridescent colors surrounded me," and similar, contrived story conventions such as writing, "POOF!" and then describing the character suddenly being in a land of dragons, pirates or fairies.

Ideally, the department wants students to write coherent, logical essays that show they have a "command of English language conventions."

They will be expected to spell commonly used words correctly but won't be harmed if they take a "compositional risk" and use, but misspell, a difficult word.

A fourth grader, for example, wouldn't be penalized for misspelling rhinoceros.

FCAT writing, then called FCAT Writes!, was first given in 1992 to fourth graders. The exam is graded on a six-point scale and this year the state wanted students to score a 4 or better. More than 79 percent did.

In Orange County, aware of the coming demands, schools have ramped up writing lessons by encouraging writing in all subjects, not just in language arts classes, said Diane Knight, senior administrator for curriculum services.

That means students write about what they observe in science lessons and write their analysis of documents they read in social studies.

At a principal meeting this summer, curriculum leaders even suggested schools put the question, "What is the writing experience that you are requiring students to do today?" in all teachers' lesson plan documents, said Linda Dove, director of curriculum services.

Educators are eager to see examples of student essays scored under the new system, said Anna-Marie Cote, deputy superintendent of Seminole County schools.

Later this month, the education department is to release those documents, showing what short of essays would earn what scores under the new requirements.

Though teachers teach writing — and spelling and grammar — in many classes, they may need to put additional emphasis on certain skills, Cote said.

"We'll have to work on it a little more," she added.

Copyright © 2011, Orlando Sentinel

Birth Announcement

Traits Writing was born at 10:17 CST, Monday, July 25, 2011.  Weighing in at 368 pages of lesson plans for every grade, and in full color, Traits Writing:  The Complete Writing Program for Grades K-8 made its debut appearance at the Scholastic National Sales Conference to the standing applause of a hundred or more eager Reps.  Proud parents Ruth Culham and Ray Coutu were on hand to walk through each extraordinary feature. Godparents  Dick Robinson, Greg Worrell, and Patrick Daley spoke eloquently about how Traits Writing would help every teacher and her students meet and exceed their writing goals.    There was dancing and singing as the Writing Revolution began and a new era of writing instruction was officially launched.  To quote the tired yet exuberant birthing team, "This is a day of celebration for writing teachers everywhere."    Check out newborn photos:  www.scholastic.com/traitswriting.

Enjoy the celebration at the Sales Conference from Scholastic V.P Patrick Daley and members of the sales team of the School Classroom and Community Group:  SCCG